Mahabharata 11.2.24 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 24
Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)
काल: पचति भूतानि काल: संहरते प्रजा: । काल: सुप्तेषु जागर्ति कालो हि दुरतिक्रम:
kālaḥ pacati bhūtāni kālaḥ saṃharate prajāḥ | kālaḥ supteṣu jāgarti kālo hi duratikramaḥ ||
Masa mematangkan segala makhluk; masa juga memusnahkan umat manusia. Ketika semua tertidur, masa tetap berjaga; sesungguhnya masa amat sukar dilangkaui.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time (kāla) is irresistible: it matures all beings and eventually ends all lives and communities. The verse urges humility and clear-sighted acceptance of impermanence, discouraging arrogance, denial, or the belief that one can escape consequences and mortality.
In the Stree Parva’s aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war, Vidura speaks in a consolatory and admonitory tone. He frames the devastation and death within the larger, inexorable working of Time, guiding listeners toward restraint, reflection, and dharmic composure amid collective mourning.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.